About 400 people in towns affected by an uncontrolled bushfire burning in Tasmania's south have evacuated, the fire service says, as the Huon Highway is closed to traffic apart from anyone heading north to safety.

A number of major fire fronts in Tasmania have emergency services stretched to the limit, with residents in several towns told to flee as bushfires, stoked by dry conditions and wind, sweep across the island.

While the current population of Waddamana can be counted on one hand, the small town in Tasmania's central highlands was once a busy place and one former resident fondly remembers life growing up in the area.